The Vanishing Bride and Groom

For the next podcast, Kit will attempt to define the difference between someone who vanishes and one who disappears. Today: the Vanishing Bride and Groom.

Transcript

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Welcome to Kitts Myths and Mysteries, listened to in all fifty states and thirty-nine countries stories out of a world you thought you knew. Today, and for the next few podcasts, we'll be looking at the difference between something or someone who vanishes or disappears and what the difference is. Today we'll look at the disappearance of a bride and groom. Driving through north central Oregon on 97 and I-84, you will come upon the sign that reads Journey through Time. Scenic Byway. This road will take you past the ghost town of Shanico. But in 1887 and slightly to the north of Shanico was a ghost town, or at the time, in the 1800s, it was a town, a lively town, a crosshollow. The surrounding land stretches as far as the eye can see because except for a few grain silos, there's nothing higher than a tumbleweed to block your view of the eastern slope of the Cascade Range. The wide open spaces are home to dry land wheat farming. The town of Cross Hollow boasted a post office of the same name and was populated by Europeans and their families along with miners that had been following a route that led to Canyon City's discovery of gold. Elmer Johnson moved his family to Cross Hollow in 1868. Then he joined the gold rush in Canyon City, where he pulled thousands of dollars in gold from Whiskey Gulch and Canyon Creek. Elmer was one of the few who knew when to cash in and leave the gold fields behind. By 1871, he was one of the largest landowners in Wasco County, Oregon. In 1871, Elmer's eldest daughter was to wed a young man from Bake Oven, yet another small town on a population with a population that had been attracted to the area by the Canyon City Gold Rush. It was 10.5 wagon route miles from Bake Oven to Cross Hollow. And as the date of the wedding neared, the groom J. Flanagan and his family made numerous trips until it was settled that the nuptials would be held on Elmer's Ranch. It would be complete with catered food up from the state capital of Salem. No cost was too great for the successful gold miner's daughter, and he hired a photographer. On the June wedding day, the sun was creating heat waves across the near bare ground. Tents were set up surrounded by barrels of water for guests. A wagon was prepared with water kegs driven by his eldest son that would take his daughter five miles up the road where she would climb in a wagon that the groom was driving, so that they could ride in together into the huge reception and be photographed as they rode under the huge arch that marked the entrance of Elmer's sprawling ranch. Five miles down the wagon road, Etta was helped into the groom's wagon by her younger brother, who turned and hightailed it back to the ranch and the waiting families. But when he arrived the horses were lathered from being ridden so hard on a hot day, and young Johnson got the ranching by his father that he was instructed to personally take care of those horses and get them into the barn out of the sun. The bride and groom rode in a wagon with two twenty gallon kegs of water. The canopied wagon itself weighed in it less than four hundred pounds and was pulled by two horses moving at a walk. At this rate they were expected to cover the five miles to the ranch in just under two hours. J. Flanagan sorr watched the road with a telescope from a water tower and spotted dust just after one hour and commented that his son was making good time. As the bride and groom neared a special tent was set up for each, so they could cool off from their five mile ride, and of course a groom had gone ten miles, and it was a grueling sunny day. When next Flanagan climbed the water tower to check the bride and groom's progress there was no sign of dust, and it was speculated that they bride and groom had stopped to rest and water the horses. But at two hours when there was still no dust, Elmer Johnson of Flanagan Sr. became concerned. Elmer called on his son to saddle up and ride down the road and check on the couple. Perhaps the wagon had broken down, but less than an hour later young Johnson returned with the news that there was no sign of the wagon or its occupants. The neighbors from both Bake Oven and Crosshollow came out in droves and despite the June heat, scoured the wagon road for miles on either side of the road, but nothing was ever found. Local Indians were suspected, but when they were questioned in their camp search, nothing was found. The search was finally called off july fourth of that year, eighteen seventy one. The bride and groom had indeed disappeared. I'll be giving another example and begging the question what's the difference between something that vanishes and something that disappears? This is Kit Crum. Thanks for listening.